The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film

The editor of this book, Steven M. Sanders, is Prof. Emeritus of Philosophy at Bridgewater State College, Mass.This book breathes new life into some old doctrines. It is part of a series on the Philosophy of Popular Culture which takes a deeper look at some of the things we watch and enjoy.Science fiction has always intrigued audiences, whether it predicts a titillating future or a dark one, and here the editor has collected essays from 13 other noted scholars, who look into popular films like "Blade Runner" and "Dark City," You'll recognize science fiction films new and old in here: "Total Recall, Metropolis," "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "The Terminator"--to name a few.The discussions range from searching the films with questions about what it means to be human, and what is the self and how do we identify ourselves as individuals?- to technology and ethics, and even paradoxes of time travel, in such films as "The Terminator" and "12 Monkeys." These classic questions of ancient philosophy are wood for the fires of the new philosophies like existentialism and nihilism--which find science fiction film a great source for speculation.That this book exists at all is a joy to me, who has heard the science fiction genre dismissed as irrelevant and not applicable to modern life--even when it was most of modern life which the genre predicted! I know a few critics who could stand to read it immediately.I can recommend this book to philosophy students and their teachers, along with the rest of us who are still searching to answers to the mystery of humanity and its place in the cosmos.Armchair Interviews agrees.